The German government has officially blocked the ​sale of logistics company Zippel to Chinese state-run shipping ⁠giant Cosco over "national ⁠security concerns," the country's economy ministry said Wednesday.

"The acquisition would have ​deepened dependencies and jeopardized the ​resilience ⁠of Germany's and the EU's supply chains," the ministry said in a statement.

European governments are increasingly wary of Chinese state-owned companies' investments in logistics and transport infrastructure, which they fear could provide access to sensitive supply chain information and create dependencies.

Germany's antitrust authority ⁠cleared ⁠the Zippel deal in February, noting national security considerations fell outside its scope.

Cosco aimed to buy an 80% stake in Zippel, which specializes in transporting containers between seaports and inland destinations.

"We would have preferred a different outcome ⁠and continue to consider our business decision the right one," Zippel CEO Axel Plass said in ​a statement, adding that day-to-day operations will continue ​as before.

Cosco, which did not immediately reply to a ⁠request ‌for comment, already ‌has a minority stake ⁠in a Hamburg ‌Port-based container terminal after the previous German government ​gave the green light ⁠in 2023 despite strong ⁠disagreement within the coalition.